Healing Waters Sanctuary - Frequently Asked Questions
Your journey begins here at the Sanctuary, and extends gently into the land around us.
Many guests come to Healing Waters seeking rest, therapy, and reconnection. While you stay here, the Sanctuary becomes your base, a quiet holding space where you can return to stillness after exploring the land’s powerful energies. Healing Waters sits on the hillside overlooking Glastonbury, offering a peaceful vantage point above the town’s activity and a direct path into nature, reflection, and spaciousness.
Glastonbury has a long history of pilgrimage, mythology, divine feminine traditions, Christian mysticism and earth-based spirituality. You don’t need to follow a particular path to feel something here; just being present within the Sanctuary or walking gently on the land can be enough.
From Healing Waters, you can walk directly to the Tor in around 30 minutes. You might sit quietly at the top, meditate at sunrise, enjoy a picnic, or simply watch the weather roll over the hills. Chalice Well Gardens and the White Spring are also easily reached, offering contrasting atmospheres: one cultivated and peaceful, the other raw and elemental, both beautifully complemented by the stillness you return to at the Sanctuary.
Many guests weave their own journey between Healing Waters and Glastonbury’s offerings: the Goddess Temple, Chalice Well Gardens, the Tor, the Abbey grounds, sound baths, yoga, esoteric shops and local workshops. Whether you join activities or simply wander in your own rhythm, your time at Healing Waters allows you to integrate whatever arises, without needing to rush, explain, or label your experience.
If your question isn’t listed below, please reach out – we’re always happy to support your visit.
📩 [email protected]
🛌 Your Stay & Practical Information
No – all linen and towels are provided for your stay.
The bathrooms are shared. We have:
✦ One upstairs bathroom
✦ One downstairs bathroom with a jacuzzi bath
✦ An additional shower room outside for the yurt
Checkout from your room is 11:00 AM, but you are welcome to continue using shared spaces until 2:00 PM for a gentle transition.
Yes. The yurt has:
• 2 electric heaters
• A wood-burning stove with one 2-hour log included
Extra fuel can be pre-ordered (£20/bag) or purchased locally.
To keep the sanctuary clean for everyone, the house and yurt are shoe-free spaces. Please bring warm socks or slippers.
We don’t currently filter drinking water onsite.
✦ Kangen water can be purchased
✦ Visitors often collect spring water from Chalice Well or White Spring (5–10 minutes away)
🌱 Access, Safety & Environment
There is no internet at the Sanctuary to support rest and nervous system recovery.
If needed, we can arrange nearby access.
Unfortunately, due to steep steps and uneven ground, the Sanctuary is not suitable for wheelchair users or those with mobility challenges.
This is a rural location and intentionally low-light in the evenings.
There are automatic lights, but a torch is recommended, especially for the cabin or late-night walks.
There are steps leading down to the property and uneven ground around the cabin area.
Please move gently and use a torch at night.
Leave the building calmly and call the emergency number provided in your welcome letter.
🍽 Food, Kitchen Use & House Culture
Healing Waters is a self-led retreat environment, not a typical guesthouse.
✦ Check-in is flexible via door code
✦ Breakfast is self-serve
✦ There is a kitchen for preparing meals at your own pace
✦ Guests share responsibility for keeping communal areas peaceful, tidy, and respectful for others seeking healing and rest.
The Sanctuary welcomes people on a spiritual or healing journey. Many guests connect deeply with others – please honour each person’s need for quiet, consent, and emotional space.
We ask that guests avoid using or storing meat, alcohol, and cigarettes onsite, to honour those who specifically choose the Sanctuary as a substance-free space.
Yes – limited space is available. Please label your food and use the cupboard provided for dry goods. Additional fridge access may be arranged by request.
🕯 Spiritual Practices & Therapies
✦ Candles and incense may be used only in the meditation room using safe holders
✦ Night-light candles are permitted in rooms only in proper holders
✦ Smudging and loose-burn incense are not allowed due to sensitive fire alarms and safety risks
Please do not leave any flame unattended.
You can pre-book by emailing [email protected] or request during your stay.
Advance booking is recommended as therapists may not always be available.
We will offer a suitable alternative that aligns with your needs, as stated in our Terms and Conditions.
🧘♀️ Community, Children & Pets
Yes, but Healing Waters is a tranquil environment. Children must be supervised at all times and respect the quiet nature of the space. Damages are chargeable.
To accommodate guests with allergies, we do not accept pets.
👥 For Group Leaders & Retreat Facilitators
Yes, we offer whole-house bookings for groups and retreat leaders. Please enquire for pricing and available dates.
Yes, outside facilitators are welcome, as long as they respect the space’s ethos and comply with insurance requirements.
Yes. We work with wonderful conscious catering providers who offer nourishing meals for retreats. You’ll book directly with them to arrange your menu and pricing, ensuring a personal touch for your group’s needs.
Yes, groups are asked to keep shared areas clean and support a calming, respectful community environment.
Yes, you may use the communal kitchen for meal preparation. We kindly ask that groups clear dishes, store food safely, and support a clean, harmonious space for other guests.
Absolutely. We offer a beautiful range of holistic and trauma-informed therapies that can be booked in advance. Early scheduling is recommended to ensure that all members of your group receive sessions at suitable times.
Healing Waters can comfortably host whole-house groups of up to 12. You may also include the Yurt and Cabin for additional sleeping space, if required, which can take it up to 20 people max.
Yes. You’re welcome to offer your own workshops, classes, or therapies during your stay. Many retreat facilitators choose to run part of their programme here at the Sanctuary using our communal spaces, especially the meditation room and dining room, while also inviting guest practitioners to support their group’s journey.
Outdoor ceremonies, breathwork, or movement practices are also possible in our garden areas, depending on the weather. Some leaders additionally take their groups to local temples, sacred sites, or workshops in Glastonbury to enrich the experience. You are free to weave your retreat in the way that best serves your group, whether fully on-site, in collaboration with other practitioners, or in combination with local offerings.
🏔 Visiting Glastonbury & Sacred Landscape
Many guests come to Healing Waters not only for rest and therapy, but to meet the spirit of Glastonbury itself. The town and surrounding hills carry a long history of pilgrimage, mythology, divine feminine traditions, nature-based practices, Christian mysticism, and earth-aligning spirituality. You don’t need to follow a particular path to feel something here; simply being present is enough.
From Healing Waters, you can walk directly to the Tor in around 30 minutes. You might choose to sit quietly at the top, meditate at sunrise, enjoy a picnic, or simply watch the weather roll over the landscape. Chalice Well Gardens and the White Spring are close by too, offering contrasting waters and atmospheres: one peaceful and enclosed, the other raw and elemental.
Many visitors also enjoy exploring:
✦ The Mother Spring
✦ Glastonbury Healing Gardens
✦ The Goddess Temple & Goddess House
✦ Chalice Well Gardens
✦ The White Spring
✦ The Rural Life Museum & Abbey grounds
✦ High Street crystal and esoteric shops
✦ Sound baths, yoga, or healing workshops in town
You can participate in group activities if you wish, or simply wander and follow your own quiet curiosity. Glastonbury meets you exactly where you ar, whether you arrive with an intention for healing, a moment of reflection, spiritual study, or simply a gentle break from everyday life.
Your journey here can be as structured or as open as you like. The land does much of the work.
How long does it take to walk to Glastonbury Tor?
Around 30 minutes total (15 minutes to the lane base, 15 minutes to climb).
It can be windy, magical, or misty. Please dress for the weather.
Chalice Well Gardens has a small entrance fee, as it is a tended sanctuary with beautiful spaces to sit, meditate and rest.
The White Spring (across the lane from Chalice Well Gardens) is free to enter and offers a raw, elemental atmosphere with candlelit shadow and powerful water energy.
Yes. Many visitors meditate, pray, or sit silently.
Please speak softly, keep phones away, and enter with respect for others, regardless of spiritual path.
Many people do. It can be windy, slippery or misty, and the lighting is minimal.
If visiting early or late, bring a torch, wear good footwear, and walk slowly, especially on the approach lane.
Yes. Many visitors collect water from:
✦ The Red Spring (Chalice Well) ▷ iron-rich
✦ The White Spring ▷ calcium-rich
Please bring your own bottle and be mindful not to block the taps or steps for others.
Small personal rituals are common.
However, drums, smoke, and large gatherings may be present during peak times. Please be sensitive to local animals and wildlife and take your rubbish with you to dispose/recycle it accordingly.
Glastonbury weather changes quickly. It may feel:
🌬 Windy on the Tor
🌧 Damp in the fields
🌫 Mysteriously foggy
🌞 Sunlit and brilliant the next moment
Please bring layers and shoes that don’t mind mud.
Not at all. People visit for many reasons: walking, resting, curiosity, history, nature, or personal reflection. You don’t need spiritual beliefs to enjoy the beauty, peace, and presence of the land.
Many traditions, Christian, pagan, mystical, and Indigenous, believe the town sits on crossing energy lines known as ley lines. Some feel this as stillness, others as emotion, clarity, activation, or inspiration. Each person experiences it differently, and there is no right way to feel.